Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-04-07
STEWARDS ANNEXATION SCHEME.

the wires for his Senatorial candidacy in
Nevada, he outlined scheme for the adj
dition of more territory to the State
which he was in the habit of submitting
informally to citizens with whom he
came in contact. According to the writ
er's recollection, the proposition was tc
take the Southern counties of Idaho, a
small slice from Oregon, and that por-
ton of California lying east of the sum-
nit OF the Sierra Nevada mountains. AT
that time he had not made up his mind
to extend the eastern boundary into any
portion of Utah, but was considering the
policy OF including an inconsiderable, and
comparatively unimportant part of the
western end Of the Territory. THE DEMO
Graf had supposed that, further than ex-
tending the northern line in Idaho to
the southern boundary of the "pan-
handle" he had made no change in his
original programme. 1t was therefore,
with considerable surprise that we read
the following account OF an interview
with Hon. John HALEY reported in the
Inter- Idaho, in which Mr.. Haley said ::
Senator Stewart has not given up hope
of carrying his scheme through. bill will
be presented next Congress for that purpose
The plan is to give the panhandle of Idaho
to Washington Territory. Utah will be
divided by line which will be an extension
of the present line between Idaho and Wyo-
ming. That portion of Utah east of that
line will be given to Colorado; the western
portion and also Southern Idaho to Nevada.
Then bills will be presented to admit Wash
ington, Montana and New Mexico Terri
tories, and the southern part of Dakota
Territory into the Union, the grounds for
believing that the bills will be successful
being the expectation that Washington and
Southern Dakota will be Republican and
Montana and New Mexico Democratic''
If Mr.. Haley spoke advisedly, as was
doubtless the case, and was correctly re-
ported, which it is but reasonable to pre-
sumo, Mr.. Stewart has made most i'm
portant change in his proposed new map
of Nevada, since he was elected a United
States Senator from that State. The ex-
tension of the line between Idaho and
Wyoming south to Arizona, would place
in Nevada four-ffths of the area and
more than nineteen-twentieths of the
population OF the present Territory of
Utah. THE DEMOCRAT had heard that
such a proposition was being vaguely
discussed, bat never for a moment i'm
agined that it was part of Mr. Stewards
annexation scheme. 1t is quite certain
that he never advocated it during his
canvass, nor in his speech before the
Legislative joint convention, after his
nomination and prior to his election.
THE DEMOCRAT has heretofore given what
it believed would be the political conse-
quences of such a change. At that time,
however, it had no idea that there was
any danger of its consummation, nor did
it suppose that it would ever be
seriously considered by any Con-
gressional representative from our
neighboring State. 1t appears, how
ever, that we were mistaken.
The result of the accomplishment OF
such a scheme would be briefly as fol-
lows: 1t would extend the political con-
troll of the Mormon priesthood, now con-
fined to Utah, to the present limits of
Nevada and the annexed portion of
Idaho. 1t would seat two Senators and
two, if not three, Representatives in
Congress, who, if not Mormons, would
be subject to the dictation of the head of
the Mormon Church. The male Nor
mon voters OF Utah, together with their
brethren in Idaho and the few hundred
in Nevada, would, in all probability,
outnumber the Gentiles by actual count.
At all events, acting as a unit under the
direction of their leaders, they would
control the politics of the State, if not by
numerical strength, by such combna-
tions as could easily be effected,
which would insure to them su-
premacy in all of the affairs of
the commonwealth. Better, far better,
admit Utah with her existing boundaries
into the Union, with her polygamous in
stitution and Church and State rule,
than extend the political jurisdiction of
the priesthood over a now loyal State
and Territory. If the Mormon people
are to be invested with the rights, privi-
leges and power of Statehood, let the
area OF their sovereignty be restrained to
the present limits, and not permit them
to exercise their despotic power over peo-
pile who are now enjoying the blessings
of political liberty and living under a Re-
publican form of government. If the |
majority OF the people are untitled for
Statehood in Utah, their disqualification
will not be removed by annexing the |
Territory to State-or rather by annex
ing State to the Territory-for in this |
case there is but little for the Territory |
TO be annexed to, except the name of a |
State. If this was what Mr.. Stewart |
meant by his professions of devotion to |
the loyal cause in Utah, THE DEMOCRAT
was correct in expressing its distrust of
him in the early part of his Senatorial
Perhaps, however, he believes
that "misery loves company" and is
willing that the aiflictions OF the Utah
Gentiles shall be shared by his own con-
stituents. We imagine, however, that
the loyal people of this Territory will find
but little consolation in the subsection
of others, now free, to the blighting curse
Of Mormon rule.
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED.